Shrubby Pencilflower

Stylosanthes fruticosa

Native to:
Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Congo, DR Congo, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, India, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan-South Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

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Taxonomy

Division:
Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
Family:
Fabaceae
Genus:
Stylosanthes
Species:
Stylosanthes fruticosa
USDA Symbol:
STFR80

Growth Characteristics

Life Cycle:
Perennial
Growth Habit:
Shrub , Subshrub
Height:
100 cm
Light Requirements:
Full Sun
Drought Tolerance:
High
Bloom Months:
jun,jul,aug,sep,oct
Bloom Colors:
yellow

Garden & Ecology Notes

Wildlife Value:
butterflies
Deer Resistant:
Yes
Fire Ecology:
Fire adapted — tolerates or benefits from fire
Fire Notes:
Resprouts from rootstock following fire; common in fire-maintained tropical and subtropical grasslands.

Soil Requirements

Soil Type:
sandy, well-drained, nutrient-poor soil
pH:
5.5 - 7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral)
Drainage:
excellent drainage required
Moisture:
dry to moderate
Notes:
native to tropical and subtropical regions

Propagation & Germination

Stratification:
None required
Scarification:
Seed coat scarification required before sowing
Germination Time:
7–21 days
Notes:
Hard seed coat requires scarification; hot water treatment or mechanical scarification improves germination rates.

The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI